Saab conducted the first test flight of its Gripen multirole fighter with Raytheon's AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface missile on 8 September, achieving an early milestone for the Hungarian air force. Deliveries to the service of 12 single-seat JAS39Csand two two-seat JAS39DGripens will begin in early 2006 under a 10-year lease deal, with the aircraft also to be armed with Raytheon's AIM-9MSidewinder and AIM-120C5 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. Aprototype JAS39Ais pictured with four AGM-65s during its first captive-carriage flight with the missile; further integration work and firing trials are set to continue over the next few weeks.
Source: Flight International
